As a tiger stalked closer to a water hole, a little boy and some wolf cubs hid behind a big rock. The mother wolf stood on top of the rock, and the rest of the pack lined themselves in a semi-circle in front of the rock.
The tiger paced back and forth, his eyes already devouring the helpless little ones. Eventually he sulked away, knowing he didn’t stand a chance against an entire pack of those fiercely protective wolves.
I saw this recently while sitting in the dentist office. I don’t know what movie it was, but it was showing in the children’s corner with the sound muted. My heart was pulled in by the scene, and my body tensed and empathized with the little boy. His eyes wide with fear, sometimes peeking around the edge of the rock. But I also saw a trust in his eyes that the wolves would protect him. I imagine they had done it before.
This reminds me of the story when Elisha’s servant panicked. (2 Kings 6:15-17) All he could see were enemy troops, horses, and chariots surrounding them. He cried out in alarm, “What shall we do?”
But Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid! For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then he prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes.
And wow! The young man looked up. And what did he see? The hillside around them was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
Sometimes we only see the armies of trouble that surround us, threatening to consume us. We tremble with fear under the attack of the enemy of our souls. We panic and cry out, “What shall I do?”
If we look through our eyes, our situation is hopeless and defeat is certain.
We need God’s lens. With eyes of faith looking to Him, we will see the enemy can never defeat us. There may be times when it feels like it. But God is still with us with His angel armies. He is and always will be greater than the strongest enemy ever against us.
As I am writing this, I can’t help but wonder about times of abuse. Isn’t the enemy defeating us when we are robbed of who we are? When shame crushes us to a pulp and we feel like we have no worth anymore? When Satan keeps piercing our souls with arrows of guilt that isn’t ours to bear?
God may allow things to happen to us, and the enemy can bring us very low. If God is for us, why do these things happen?
In hindsight I still don’t understand everything, but I do know that our sufferings lead us into a deeper understanding of the incomprehensible sufferings Christ Jesus has endured for us. Our troubles here build a bridge to a deeper relationship with Jesus.
It may feel sometimes like we’re defeated, but all the devastating events in life will never wipe us out when we belong to Jesus. He still has our souls in His safekeeping. No one can take our souls away from Him.
The little boy could see the hungry leer of the tiger, and he trembled with fear. But he trusted the wolves, especially one who acted as his mother, would protect him. In the same way, Satan roars loudly and can be so close we feel his hungry breath. May God help us to trust our Mighty Protector who will never let him devour us.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NLT
“And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are One [in essence and nature].” John 10:28-30 AMP
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NLT
Whom Shall I Fear? (God of Angel Armies)
Chris Tomlin
Freed to Fly 
Oh Trudy, This is so beautiful. My son gave me that verse from 1 John 4 for my Birthday, and I needed to be reminded of it today, after a hard night last night! Thank you for speaking and sharing great words of comfort from the Lord!! xoxo
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I’m so sorry you had a tough night last night, Bettie. I’m so glad you are comforted here. What a nice verse for your son to give you. I often have to remind myself that greater is our God within us than all that comes against us! May God help us to remember that we belong to Him and He has already won the victory! Hugs!
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Hi Trudy! I don’t think we’ll ever really understand why bad things happen. Why God allows such sadness and abuse in his world. I’m sure it has something to do with us being imperfect, but still…he could intervene. It’s confusing.
Looking at our immediate problems with the wider lens of God is a great idea. It lifts me out of my present and helps me understand that there is a plan, and God’s got it. Faith and trust are not easy things, but they are the only things that get me through sometimes. If I didn’t have faith, I’d be really lost! Someday, it will all make sense….but until then, I rely on the Lord to help and lead me to peace.
God bless,
Ceil
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Thank you for your comforting thoughts, Ceil. Yes, someday we will understand it all. I love those three words – “God’s got it.” If we can hang onto that, there is hope, no matter what we face in this life. May God give us daily trust in Him and His all-wise plan! Hugs!
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I hear your heart on this one, Trudy. Some questions are simply unanswerable, and that is so hard. I love the perspective you offer–that no matter what happens this side of heaven, Jesus has our souls in safekeeping. You’re right … there IS great comfort in that, my friend.
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I’m so glad you found comfort in the truth that Jesus has our souls in safekeeping no matter what happens. Yes, it can be so hard to understand some things. Your post just encouraged me to remember God is faithful, He loves us, and all things are rooted in His purposes for us. May God help us to remember that daily! Hugs to you, Lois!
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This song is such a comfort. Yes, we need to hold on to the facts of Who God is, What He says and loudly rehearse it, for as Louie Giglio so vividly illustrated in his sermon in the Elevation revival series, Satan will insert himself and have a seat at your table to present you like a nag with his ‘take’. Some of human suffering is too much for me to understand, like child abuse, so I must chose to trust and worship. Love you, Trudy. ((HUGS))
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I’m so glad the song comforts you, Sita. How true it is what you share about Satan inserting himself like a nag. Sometimes it feels like a battering ram constantly trying to knock us off the Rock Christ Jesus. I’m so glad God has us in His grip! May God help us to more deeply and authentically trust and worship Him in spite of all we don’t understand! Hugs!
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I love the thought that God and his angel armies are always with us, and I love that song. It came to mind as soon as I saw the title of your post. It is hard to understand why some things happen but I think our troubles can be a bridge to a closer relationship with God. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a story of someone growing in faith that hasn’t included some kind of trial or difficulty. I love the hope we have that “all the devastating events in life will never wipe us out when we belong to Jesus.”
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That song came into my heart as I was writing this post. I love it, too, Lesley. How true that it’s through the trials or difficulties that our faith grows. May we always remember we are safe in the arms of Jesus and He has a purpose for everything! Hugs!
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So, so true, Trudy! God and His angel armies are ever on our side, and we can rest in that knowledge that, ultimately, we are divinely protected.
And I absolutely LOVE that song by Chris Tomlin! Thank you for sharing.
Blessings!
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I’n so glad you were ministered to, Martha. Yes, it’s so comforting to know God is always protecting us even when we can’t see Him. I love that song, too. It’s so comforting, isn’t it? May we more deeply trust that God is always on our side! Hugs!
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May the Lord, indeed, grant that we be able to see through His lens. It is so easy to get distracted by the problems and forget that He is still on His throne!
I love that story of Elisha and his servant! It fills my heart with faith and praise every time I hear it!
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Oh, how true it is, Ruth, that we can so easily get distracted and forget God is still on the throne. I love that story, too. May we focus on God and His faithful care over us instead of on our problems! Hugs!
For some reason, I can’t get my comment to post on your site. I’m just realizing that it’s happening with more wordpress sites. So I’m posting my comment here:
I love this analogy, Ruth. It’s amazing how God helped you turn a nightmare into an insightful spiritual lesson. 🙂 This really touched me – “God is just as real as the stunningly bright tops of the clouds even though we focus on the gray underside and the coming storm or the dreariness of the day.” So true. May we rest in God and His offered help rather than in our own resources! Hugs!
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Thanks so much for the comment on my post! I’m following your blog now in the hopes that this will prevent further problems, and perhaps if you follow my blog also it would be doubly better. I’ve had to follow more blogs (even if I don’t have time to read all the posts) because Akismet has sent comments to spam and the some of the ones that have made it into the spam folder where I could actually read them have been from legit Christian bloggers who are a part of the linkup.
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P.S. I just found your comment in my Akismet spam folder. I marked it NOT spam and approved it, so it’s on my blog post now.
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Thank you so much for informing me, Ruth. I’ve tried and tried to find out what is wrong. It’s even happening at posts where I’m already subscribed. Maybe I’ll have to ask them if my comments are in their spam. It seems to be happening only at wordpress sites. I’ll have to keep working on it. I did subscribe to your blog. 🙂 Thanks again!
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Trudy your post shares such truth. What a beautiful story about the boy and the wolves and the tiger. I’m so glad God is our protector. The picture of Him standing guard over us is powerful.
What you said here: “It may feel sometimes like we’re defeated, but all the devastating events in life will never wipe us out when we belong to Jesus. He still has our souls in His safe keeping. No one can take our souls away from Him.” This really spoke to me.
And, as soon as I read your title, the song began humming in my mind. 🙂
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Thank you, Jeanne. I’m so glad you were ministered to. It’s such a comfort to know we will never be completely defeated, because God has our souls in His safekeeping. May we daily remember that God and His angel armies surround us always whether we see them or not! Hugs!
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Sometimes it is hard to believe the victory has been won when in the battle! Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities yet sure feels like flesh when in this world. Thankfully we have our sisters and brothers in Christ to help us see the God lens in our lives. You’re ministering here Trudy, from what I see! God iheals and turning your scars into stars of hope!
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Thank you, Lynn. My heart is so encouraged by your words of how God heals and turns scars into stars of hope. I love that thought! 🙂 Thank you! Yes, it truly is hard to believe the victory has been won when in the battle. You have been in some heavy ones lately, haven’t you? May God help us to daily remember He has already won the victory! Hugs!
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Dear Trudy ~ You’ve bravely asked difficult questions that make us ponder long and hard. There are no easy answers and that hurts. I keep wrestling with these kinds of things with the One whose ways are so unfathomable. And I think it’s ok that we come to Him in complete raw honesty. He won’t cast us out, He will comfort us …
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No, there are no easy answers. My analytical mind always wants to reason things out and understand all the whys. I think Billy Graham once said that if we could understand God, then He wouldn’t be very big. So true, isn’t it? My husband and I sometimes remind each other – “I don’t need to understand. I just need to hold Your hand.” What a comforting thought that it truly is ok to come to God in complete raw honesty. As you say, He will never cast us out. May God help us to let go of the whys and place them all in His BIG hands! Hugs!
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The idea of God fighting our battles for us continues to surface for me. It brings comfort to know that He is always on the lookout for me, ready and willing to defend me against the enemy’s attack. Thank you for the reminder!
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I’m so glad this reminder encouraged you, Kelly. It is truly so amazing that He is always on the lookout for us, isn’t it? He sees the danger ahead and is always ready to fight for us. May we dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of our Almighty God! Hugs!
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Amen, Trudy! I thank God for your precious words of encouragement and truth! Blessings and hugs, my friend!
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I’m so sorry, June. I just about missed your comment. I’m having a lot of trouble today posting at wordpress blogs and have found out some of my comments went to their spam folders. I’m finding out it’s an Askimet problem. Anyway, now I just found your comment in my spam folder. Sorry.
Yes! Thank God! I’m so glad you were encouraged, June. May we daily believe we are surrounded by His presence even when we don’t feel it! Hugs!
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Hi Trudy,
That is one of my favorite stories that you mentioned here — Elisha and his servant having his eyes opened to see what was unseen — the angel armies — it gives me chills when I think about that and how amazing that must have been! So often we don’t understand the reasons for our trials and challenges and that’s what raises questions and makes us doubt God’s love and care (what the enemy certainly wants us to do) but when we instead keep trusting that God will carry us it settles our hearts. So grateful God never slumbers or sleeps! xoxo
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I love this story, too, Valerie. I can so identify with the servant’s fear as I focus only on the problems, but also on his amazement as God opens his eyes to God’s love and care. Yes, the enemy certainly wants us to doubt it, and he fights so desperately. But God has us in His grip! May we more and more open our eyes to God and His amazing love and care over us! Hugs!
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Elisha’s recounting of that experience is my favorite story in all of scripture.
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It’s an amazing story to remember, isn’t it, Carmen? May God give us eyes to see He is always with us, even on those days when it’s so hard! Hugs!
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Carmen, I am having trouble with commenting at wordpress blogs. I’m learning it has something to do with the Askimet spam blocker. Will you please do me a huge favor and check your spam folder to see if my comment is there? I posted under My Rocks.
This is what I posted: Hi Carmen. I’m so sorry you deal with chronic illness. I identify with the changes and limitations it forces on our lives. What would we do without God, right? Blessings and hugs to you!
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I got it.
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Oh, good. Thank you!
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Hi Trudy! Thanks for letting me know about your comment issue. I found 3 from you in my spam folder. I approved them all hoping it would tell Askimet that you’re safe. Then I deleted the 2 extra ones. I’m so glad you reached out to let me know because I’m terrible about checking my spam folder.
This post is awesome, my friend. I didn’t know that story from the Bible. I’m pretty new still to scripture so I really appreciate the introduction. I’ll have to go read more. I absolutely love what you said here: “In hindsight I still don’t understand everything, but I do know that our sufferings lead us into a deeper understanding of the incomprehensible sufferings Christ Jesus has endured for us. Our troubles here build a bridge to a deeper relationship with Jesus.” So beautiful and meaningful! Much love to you.
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Thank you so much for checking it out, Candace. I just tested to see if my comments go through again. It did! 🙂
I’m glad you were ministered to. I know you have been through a lot of suffering, but I can see how God has helped your pain turn into purpose. You have a beautiful compassion for others who have gone through what you have or still do. May we become more and more like Jesus! Hugs!
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Hi Trudy- I think that was Jungle book maybe? We saw it a few weeks back and I remember the scene you described i think? Anyway love this post and the verses you included. Thank you for reminding me that our God is bigger and that nothing can thwart his plan even things that seem so terrible and devastating in our lives. Your words always speak to my heart Trudy! Thanks so much for sharing His grace and love,
Susie
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Hi Susie. I thought the scene looked familiar, but I couldn’t find what movie it was. So thank you. 🙂 It has been years since I saw the Jungle Book. That scene never touched me the way it did that day. Even though I had to go to the dentist, God opened my eyes to beauty just as we talked about. 🙂 I’m so glad these words and verses spoke to your heart. Yes, God is bigger and nothing can thwart His plan. I missed your post this week. I hope you are doing ok. I sometimes sense there is some great struggle in your heart. May God help us to cling to Him and His power and plan even when troubles devastate our lives! Hugs!
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What a beautifully illustrated story. Love this, Trudy! These words especially ministered to me: ” Our troubles here build a bridge to a deeper relationship with Jesus.” This is coming true for me and I see it in you, too, dear friend. Thank you for offering such a beautiful harbour of hope for hurting souls. Though the enemy seems to be attacking your means of reaching out by commenting on people’s blogs, I feel sure God’s armies are already working behind the scenes to open the doors again. xo ❤
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Thank you for your kind encouragement, Joy. It’s amazing what God uses to bring us into a deeper relationship with Him. It’s hard sometimes, especially when troubles overwhelm us, but I’m trying to focus on how He uses all these troubles to know Him more deeply and to be more like Him.
I’m trying not to get in such a tizzy about not being able to comment at some blogs. Some have found me in their spam and unspammed me, so now my comments can go through again. Others, like yours, still don’t work. 😦 I’m still working with WordPress support. Anyway, this is what I just wrote at your site, but it didn’t go through -“You can rest in My infinite love, tender compassion, mercy and forgiveness. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to give you.” This really comforts my heart, Joy. Thank you. May He show us how we can live fully and freely in the joy of His love for us! Have a restful, joy-filled weekend! Hugs!
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Thank you, Trudy. I’m so sorry your words didn’t go through. 😦 It’s a mystery to me, because as far as I know they have never accidentally slipped into the spam folder. Bless you for letting me know what thoughts your comment contained. May you also enjoy a “restful, joy-filled weekend.” Hugs! xox ❤
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Thank you, Joy. ❤️
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PS: Your lost words surfaced in my spam folder! Now duly rectified.. 🙂 xox
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Hooray! Love and hugs to you, Joy!
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Oh, yes, Trudy! There is so much we just won’t understand until we get to the other side of the cross. But you are so right … there is much we can grasp when we look the His lens. When we see not just the trials set before us, but what lays beyond them. Thanks, my friend, for your beautiful hope that you always share. Your words always bless and encourage me!
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Thank you, Lori. I’m so glad you were encouraged. Yes, looking through God’s lens sure makes a difference, doesn’t it? May God help us to see through His lens to look not at our trials but at what lays beyond them! Hugs!
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